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Poor People Using Mobile Financial Services : Observations on Customer Usage and Impact from M-PESA

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2009-08
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2012-08-13
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Despite growing agreement on the potential of technology to expand access to finance, or branchless banking, there is surprisingly little data publicly available about low-income users. This brief draws on some of the first ethnographic research on Mobile-Swahili for money (M-PESA), one of the earliest success stories in mobile phone-based delivery of financial services. The research offers insights into how poor people use M-PESA, its impact on their lives, and some unexpected consequences.
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Morawczynski, Olga; Pickens, Mark. 2009. Poor People Using Mobile Financial Services : Observations on Customer Usage and Impact from M-PESA. CGAP Brief. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9492 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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